Home Photo Printers - Tips for Buying

1. Ink: home photo printers have greatly improved in quality and can now produce prints that are dramatically better than a regular inkjet. But to do this a printer needs more than the traditional three colors plus black and many of today's printers now have additional coloured inks such as light cyan, light magenta and more which improves the subtlety of skin tones and so on as there are more possibilities for combining the inks and thus a broader range of colors. This means a higher cost per print but if you wish to produce cheap prints as trials you can always set the printer to 'normal' mode.
2. Paper size: some photo printers (known as compact photo printers will only print on 4x6 paper so the first thing to decide is whether or not you just want to print out snapshot sized pics. A compact photo printer is usually small, has a large LCD to view your photos, and comes with built-in editing software, which allows you to remove red-eye, crop and so on without having to use a computer as the printer is connected directly to your camera using memory cards/USB/PictBridge or Bluetooth. There are also low-cost wireless printers available such as the Canon PIXMA MX870 which give you the freedom to print from any room in the house. If you want to get your pictures framed for hanging on the wall then you need to look for a printer that will make prints starting at 10x8 minimum. Conversely, if you want small snapshots to carry in your bag/wallet then you need to check that the printer takes smaller sized paper.
3. Paper type: check that the home photo printer you choose will actually print on the type of paper you want - for example, many professional photographers prefer a matte finish. Also, the pints should last a long time and preferably be waterproof. Some inkjets can make waterproof prints - thermal dye printers will give each print a waterproof coating.
4. Cost per print: this is important if you think you will be printing out lots of photos and the manufacturers of consumable will give precise quotes. Also, if the printer is capable of printing a reasonable image on cheaper paper, that may be more suitable for families with demands for lots of instant images that will only be kept until the next new photo has been captured.

Top Recommendations

• Under $100: The Epson Stylus NX625 claims to be the world's fastest all-in-one printer and comes with image enhancement tools such as red-eye-removal, auto photo correction and so on. Also has wireless capability so you can share it with members of your family. There are built-in memory card slots so you don't need a computer to print out pictures, and is very economical to run. Definitely a bargain and it gets very good customer reviews on Amazon.
• Over $100: The HP Photosmart B8550 is a bit more expensive but can produce lab-quality photos up to 13 x 19 inches and has a five-ink system so you only need replace the colors you need. Photos can be printed up to 9600 x 2400 dpi on HP color paper. A great printer for the price offering quality as well as speed.
• Over $200: The Epson Stylus Photo 1400 is a large format photo printer and can print a wide range of sizes from 4" x 6" borderless prints up to 13" x 19". For people who enjoy scrapbooking, 12" x 12" prints can also be produced. Six-color inks produce vibrant colors and prints are delivered rapidly. The Epson Stylus Photo 1400 can automatically evaluate and correct the color and lighting in digital images and includes advanced face detection, which distinguishes people from scenery, correcting the color accordingly to ensure beautiful, natural skin tones. Well worth the extra money.